The women’s tennis tour without Serena and Venus Williams is like Italian food without the pasta and the meat. Serena in particular, who is injured is by far the most important and dominant personality on the WTA. Her withdrawal from the 2010 U.S. Open caused shockwaves to reverberate throughout the tennis world. Even men superstars, such as Andy Roddick and Roger Federer, felt compelled to opine on how much Serena’s absence damages TV ratings.
Yet, despite the fact that Serena long established herself as one of the greatest players in the history of women’s tennis, and despite the fact she is ranked No. 1 in the world and has won two of the first three majors this year, she is not the top money maker on the women’s tour. That title belongs to Maria Sharapova.
According to Forbes, Sharapova. 23, is the highest-paid female athlete today, thanks to her lucrative deals with marquee brands. The 12th ranked player has hauled in $24.5 million in 2009 from the likes of sports apparel maker Nike, electronics and telecom firm Sony Ericsson, jewelry giant Tiffany and leading watch manufacturer TAG Heuer. Not bad for someone who is cutting a rather sorry image on the tennis court for the better part of two years.
From a purely tennis standpoint, Sharapova has not factored importantly in the WTA Tour since she’s been trying to recover from shoulder surgery in 2009. But while her arm remains in the metaphorical sling, she has relied on her very white face and blond locks to lock down Madison Avenue. The advertisers’ message is unmistakable: blonde hair and blue eyes alone outweigh a legendary career from a tall, dark and beautiful black woman any day. –terry shropshire
The Williams sisters grabbed the No. 2 and No. 3 slots on Forbes’ earnings list for female athletes. Serena made $20.2 million while Venus earned $15.4 million over the past year. They are the all-time leaders in career prize money, with Serena at $32.7 million and Venus having made $27.3. The next highest is Lindsay Davenport at $22.2 million. The Williams’ women accrued a much larger percentage of their wealth though where it counts: on the court.
Who’s fourth on the top female earning’s list? None other than non-achiever Danica Patrick. Like former tennis loser Anna Kournikova, who failed to even win a single tennis tournament yet racked up the most advertising dollars, Patrick and Sharapova prove that you can be a loser and still win if you possess something that thing you’re either born with or you’re not — a pretty white face.
–terry shropshire
